CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College baseball team opened the 2015 season on Friday night with an 11-7 victory over Tougaloo College at Frierson Field.
The Choctaws (1-0) jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings as junior
Hunter Hall doubled with the bases loaded, driving home three runs in the second inning. In the frame, junior
Garrett Odom scored a run on a bases loaded walk by sophomore
Hunter Bolin, setting up Hall's big hit.
MC finished the game with four doubles, including an RBI two-bagger by junior
Colton Caver to score MC's first run in the first inning.
The Bulldogs (0-2) scored two runs in the the fourth and fifth innings to cut the score to 5-4, but RBI singles by Bolin and junior
Caleb Upton pushed the lead back out to 8-4 after six innings. Bolin went 1-for-4 on the night with three RBI and two runs scored, while Upton was 2-for-5 with the RBI.
Tougaloo wasted no time cutting the lead to 8-7 as Lige Mims hit a three-run home run to left-center field, scoring three unearned runs after one of four Choctaw errors on the night.
MC answered in their half of the seventh, however, as senior
Akiko Thompson doubled home freshman
Colton Johnson and Odom to push the lead to 10-7. Bolin's RBI groundout scored Thompson to give the game its final score.
Senior
Brooks Fortenberry picked up the win on the mound for MC, going 5.0 innings and scattering seven hits with only two earned runs allowed and eight strikeouts.
Senior
Grady Turman came out of the bullpen to pitch 3.0 innings, giving up three hits and no earned runs. Junior
Tyler Scholl finished the game by allowing just a single hit in the ninth inning.
Ronald Russell Jr. took the loss for Tougaloo, allowing eight earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched. Mims led the Bulldogs with three hits and four RBI on the night.
The Choctaws and the Bulldogs will finish the three-game series on Saturday when they play a doubleheader beginning at noon.
